Doctor Dad
by Niki Bogwater
Summary: For Moriah and Katie. Having recently lost the Ponds, The Doctor isn't exactly in the best of moods...that is, until he meets ten-year-old Katie, a mysterious girl with a passionate desire to see the stars. But how much danger is The Doctor willing to expose his adopted daughter to...?
1. Chapter One

_Obla-dee, obla-dah, life goes on, brah!_

_La la, honey life goes on._

_Obla-dee obla-da, life goes-_

"Would you please turn off that INFERNAL racket!" The Doctor bellowed, well aware that the TARDIS was only trying to help. He was thrust against the wall as she hummed in disapproval, but at least the music stopped.

The Doctor rubbed his face with his hands, sniffing a bit. Really, he didn't have that much against The Beatles. They had been Amy's favorite band, though Rory abhorred them. But right now, they were the last people in the world he wanted to think about. Probably not the best way to deal with his grief, but it was the only way he knew how. The only thing he was really good at was running, even if it meant running from himself.

He collapsed in the Captain's chair, mulling over the past few days, despite his passionate desire to forget that they had ever come to pass. The Ponds had returned to the TARDIS, and he had felt, for just a little while, the constant emptiness in his hearts begin to fill up. And now they were gone again, snatched from him by the reality of what he was; danger. He had seriously considered finding a mallet somewhere in the TARDIS and using it to bash in every Weeping Angel's skull in the entirety of creation.

He felt hollow, like an empty boat, sinking without anyone to guide it. There were times when he cursed his sensitivity, but none more than those painful days that followed the loss of his companions. He wasn't even sure why he took on companions in the first place. It only ended in heartbreak. And yet...they were all just so brilliant, it almost made the heartbreak worth it.

Rose. She had patched him up and taught him to love again. Falling in love with her had been the singularly most terrible and wonderful experience of his life, and he never, ever wanted to do that again. Unfortunately, River had broken that resolve. Rose would still always be a piece of him though, especially since he WAS technically married to her in a way, at least, he was if his Meta-Crisis counterpart knew what was good for him. The TARDIS hummed soothingly, as his wandering mind meandered further...

Martha. Brilliant girl. Positively fantastic. Sometimes he had felt that if she just had a little something more, she'd be Rose. There was no telling what that little something was. All he had known was that Rose had it, and Martha didn't. Still, he counted her as one of the few blessings that had been bestowed on him in all of his filthy nine-hundred-and-some years.

Donna was a spark in the midst of the black abyss that had become his life. Perhaps she wasn't the smartest, or the prettiest (heaven forbid. He had sworn off pretty girls after Rose had gone...well...More or less...Alright, maybe less...River was definitely a looker. TARDIS hummed again. Right, back on track), but she had been an absolutely refreshing specimen of human. He's always secretly enjoyed seeing her worked up. Her eyes would ignite and bulge with a fiery passion, and her face would set into something he had called a "I would kill you if he wasn't here to stop me" face. He owed her more than he could ever give back.

And now he was up to Amy and Rory. His family. From the moment he had landed in little Amelia Pond's kitchen and made the oddly calm girl cater to his unfamiliar taste buds, he knew he'd found someone he just couldn't bear to part with. From her stony resolve to her childlike insecurities, he had loved every single molecule in her. And Rory was...well, he was Rory. It was hard to describe. He found that because Amy loved him, he loved him too. Or perhaps it was because Rory loved Amy so much that he immediately grew attached to him and his ridiculously large nose...He wasn't sure which. All he knew was that his hearts had been ripped into a million pieces the moment that Weeping Angel touched them. It hurt more than anything had since Rose had been sucked into that blasted parallel world.

The TARDIS lurched suddenly, alerting him to yet another one of the universe's trifling problems. Begrudgingly locking on to the distress signal, he piloted his ship into what seemed to be a back alley, somewhere in London. Throwing on his coat and straightening his bow tie, he lept out the doors, eager to leave his heavy memories behind for the present.

He was immediately reintroduced to the pungent odor of a back alley. Right, these places always did smell of trouble...quite literally. The pounding of trainers on the asphalt assured him that he had indeed found his distress signal, and he jubilantly bounded around a corner towards the sound.

"OOF!" He was sent sprawling on the ground as a small object collided with his body, whatever it was making a noise of discomfort as they both landed on the concrete. A small redhead (why were they ALWAYS ginger?) reassembled herself on the ground, as The Doctor quickly righted himself before whatever was chasing her could get there. "It's always something, isn't it?" she moaned, examining her scraped knee. "Fine. Do whatever. You caught me. Let's just get this over with."

"Right, well, you're just a bundle of sunshine, aren't you?" The Doctor grumbled, holding out a hand to help her up, which seemed to confuse her. "I'm The Doctor, and I'm here to save the world."

"Right...Well, it's not the world that needs saving, just me." She eyed his hand warily. "What kind of dope do you deal?"

"What?"

"Oh, excellent timing, sir!" said a slimy voice that made The Doctor's spine go rigid. The girl quickly assessed the situation, then finally took his hand and pulled herself up, ducking behind him.

"Right, don't know who you are, but drug-dealers can't be as bad as pedophiles. You just arrange some way to get me out of this, yeah?"

"What?" The Doctor said again. The pounding of heavy trainers slowed as a group of teenagers rounded the corner.

"Thank goodness!" said a greasy-haired boy with several missing teeth. The Doctor felt his gut flip at the sight of him, and instinctively reached for his Sonic Screwdriver. "Katie, we've been looking for you everywhere! Thank you so much, mister, our mother has been frantic about my little sister here."

"If you believe one word he says, you're either unbelievably cruel, or unbelievably stupid..." the girl snarled from behind him.

"I would like to think of myself as neither..." He fought to keep a passive front. "Hello, boys. I'm The Doctor, and I'm here to save...well, not the world, just this...polite young lady you seem so eager to...associate with."

Thanks to The Doctor's absolutely brilliant people skills, he and his newest companion found themselves running for their lives back to the TARDIS, with a mob of sickening teenagers sprinting after them.

"You could've just let them take me!" the girl shouted over their pounding feet as The Doctor slid around a corner. She tried to sound annoyed, but she couldn't completely cover up how touched she was.

"Oi, what sort of Doctor would I be then? Nope, not that way, there's a brick wall!"

"But there's a dumpster back that-"

_Thunk!_

"...way."

"Found it, thanks..." The Doctor muttered, rubbing his nose.

"Frankly, you aren't much of a doctor either way," the ginger commented as The Doctor franticly snapped his sweaty fingers to open the TARDIS doors.

"In here, NOW!" he shouted, tugging her arm and preparing for a fight. She followed with docility that surprised him, and he slammed the doors behind them, panting as he leaned against them. "Right...well, that was fun. Proper introductions now, though." He straightened out and faced the girl. "I'm The Doctor, and I don't deal drugs, first of all."

"Doctor what?"

"It's not 'what,' it's 'who."

"What?"

"No. 'Who.'"

"Who?"

"Yes."

"Who what?"

"No, just 'who.'"

"What?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because 'what' is grammatically incorrect, and anyways, 'Doctor Who' sounds so much better than 'Doctor What.'"

"Who?"

"Yes."

"You?"

"Yes, that's me. Doctor Who. Well, actually, just The Doctor, but it's so much fun to hear people say that..."

"Right...okay, well, I'm Katie. Not Katie Who or What or whatever...Hmm...bigger on the inside. Cute little trick, I must say," the Katie said calmly, looking around. the TARDIS hummed appreciatively.

"You're not...er...surprised?"

"My head is bigger on the inside too. Not sure how, but it is. This can't be much different, can it?" she said matter-of-factly, running her hand over the control panel curiously.

"No...I rather like that, actually...You an author or something?"

"Occasionally. Bit more of a runner, really."

"Really?" The Doctor perked up, momentarily tempted to do something he would later regret. Before he was able to stop himself, the words came tumbling out of his mouth. "It travels in time, too...Anywhere in time and space." Katie's eyes widened and shone in a way The Doctor found irresistible.

"Take me, then."

"What?"

"Take me somewhere."

"I should be taking you home..."

"Well, you don't know where that is, do you? And until you take me somewhere, I'm not telling you." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, suddenly reminded of Amy handcuffing him to a car door and drilling him for answers.

"Fine. One trip. Only one, then I'm taking you back to your family." Katie winced suddenly, and The Doctor was tempted to question her, but she spoke too fast.

"Fine. One trip. Take me somewhere amazing."

**A/N: There we go! Finally finished the first chapter. So, Katie, what do you think? Any suggestions you have are appreciated (after all, this is yours and your sister's book). Anyone else is also free to review and suggest. Ciao for now!**

**-Niki Bogwater**


	2. Chapter Two

"Right!" The Doctor flung his jacket at Katie, who ignored it and let it fall on the floor. "...You were supposed to catch that..."

"Where are we going?" she asked, eyeing the control panel curiously.

"I have no idea!" The Doctor said jovially. Katie didn't appear to be disturbed in the least. "Hold down that button over there."

"This one?"

"No, the purple one."

"There isn't a purple one over here..."

"There isn't?" The Doctor craned his neck to see around the console. "Oh, she must've moved it..." He looked around frantically. "How about giving us a hint?" he called to the ceiling. The TARDIS lurched and sent The Doctor flying against the other wall. "Ah, there it is. Bit inconvenient spot though..." He hopped back up and moved Katie over a few feet. "Right, just hold that for me...You're going to have to let go of the handrail..." Katie glared at him incredulously, before hesitantly unclenching her white knuckles.

"What was all that for, then?" she grumbled, cautiously laying a finger on the inconspicuous button, making the entire ship sway again.

"Washn't meh!" The Doctor insisted, Sonic Screwdriver between his teeth as he randomly poked and pulled at neon-colored wires weaving in and out of a dashboard. "TARDIS just has a more...sarcastic way of answering my questions, is all." The ship lurched again, and The Doctor wound up with his face smooshed against a screen. "Now don't get upset, dear, I'm simply pointing out one of my favorite things about you!" He snatched up his Sonic before it could roll away.

"So this thing is alive? You've got a spaceship that breathes and thinks and lives like...like an animal?" TARDIS lurched unhappily, and Katie had to let go of the purple button to grip the handrail.

"She's not an animal," the Doctor said reproachfully. "She's a person. And...well, yes, she is alive. Not sure she breathes too much...I dunno, do you need to breathe, Sexy?"

"Either you bumped your nose on that dumpster harder than we thought, or I'm passed out in an alley again."

"What do you mean again...? Wait, you didn't let go of the purple button, did you?"

"Ummm..." Katie glanced down at her hands, which were occupied in clinging to the handrail for dear life, and were, unfortunately, button-free.

"Oh, no no no no no no NO! We're veering off course!" The Doctor cried gleefully, looking very happy about this turn of events. "I really DON'T know where we're off to now!" The TARDIS landed with something like a cross between a thump and a purr, which sounded very odd from the inside, and The Doctor bounded to the door, sweeping up his coat from the floor and throwing it on. "It's alright," he said to Katie, who had refused to let go of that blasted handrail. "She's landed now, she won't budge until we come back." He held out a hand, eagerly awaiting the feeling of someone else's fingers slipping through his companionably. Katie glared at his hand before cautiously taking it.

"I only trust you because you're just a step above everyone else I've met. You fall down that step, and you lose that trust," she said harshly.

"Oh dear...I fall down stairs all the time...Oh, wait, you're talking metaphorically, aren't you? Oh well, doesn't matter. Geronimo!"

"Wait-!" The Doctor threw open the doors and bounded outside, dragging Katie with him.

It smelled worse than the alley here. Huge conifer trees towered over them menacingly, and the incessant droning of flies made Katie's ears tingle. The Doctor didn't seem to be fazed.

"It smells like the dairy yard in here..." Katie choked.

"No, that's not a cow sort of smell...Strange, it does seem familiaAAAAH! Move, move move move MOVE!" The Doctor swung Katie around behind the TARDIS, as an absolutely enormous foot crushed the high grass where they had just been standing.

"What is that?!" Katie squeaked, unintentionally pressing closer to The Doctor.

"Oh, you are absolutely beautiful!" The Doctor breathed, his head tilted all the way back, not even looking at the "Stomping Death Foot."

"What? Doctor, we nearly died!"

"Yes, but we didn't. Now stop whining about inconsequential things and look at this!"

"Inconsequential?! Look, I don't know what planet you're from, but dying isn't exactly something I brush off easily!"

"But look at that! That's just absolutely gorgeous!"

"It's a giant foot that looks like a tree stump!"

"Oh, you humans never look at the broader scheme..." The Doctor grumbled, lifting a very alarmed Katie as high as he could. "Just look at that!" Katie, not eager to look down, as The Doctor was rather tall and she was afraid of heights, did as he instructed, and squeaked again.

"Down!" she shrieked, wriggling out of The Doctor's grasp to hide behind his legs.

"But just look at it!"

"I'm done looking, thanks. Can we go back in, now?"

"Ohhh, hello, I believe he's noticed us. HELLOOOOOO UP THERE!"

"I'm stuck in the Triassic with a death-seeking idiot..." Katie moaned as the longest neck she had ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on, bent very slowly towards The Doctor.

"This is the Jurassic, Kathryn. Brachiosaurus wasn't there during the Triassic. Although, after we're done here, we could go see what WAS galloping around back then. Oh, hello, there's the head!" If Katie thought the neck was disconcerting, it was nothing compared to the head. A small, bulbous lump with two liquid brown eyes and a greasy nose inspected The Doctor curiously. "Oh, look, Katie, it likes us!"

"It likes YOU," Katie insisted, refusing to budge from her shelter behind him. Meanwhile, The Doctor was busy rubbing a sensitive spot right beneath the dinosaur's disgusting excuse for a chin, making the thing purr with a sound that rippled through the ground and made Katie feel very uncomfortable.

"Who's a snuggly wuggly Brachiosaurus? Yes, you're just so beautiful."

"I think I must've died a long time ago and this is my Purgatory..." Katie moaned.

"Oh, would you calm down? It's a herbivore. Eats trees. We're definitely not what he would consider appealing. Especially you. How'd you get so skinny, anyways?"

"Thank you, Casanova. But whether or not it likes burgers, the fact is that Twinkle Toes here still nearly crushed us."

"Oh, you hear that, Brachi? She's named you! Oh, you've got to tell me how you get people to like you so quickly."

"WHAT?" Katie was suddenly struck with the depressing realization that today was going to be a very long day. "Twinkle Toes" snorted suddenly, and his ugly head disappeared again as he raised his neck.

"Ooh...hello..." The Doctor pulled out his sonic as Twinkle Toes snuffed the air with a loud gasp that reverberated through the valley.

"Doctor..." Katie said slowly. "Is it just me or is the ground shaking a little?" The Doctor shook his sonic.

"Oh...Um...You remember how I said this was the Jurassic?"

"Yeeeeah..." Katie said slowly, hoping this wasn't going where she thought it was.

"You know who else was galloping around during the Jurassic?" A horrible crunching sound made Katie jump, and The Doctor found himself trying to regain his balance as she clung to his back.

"Okay, ummm...If I remember my manual on T-Rex survival..."

"Oh, come off it, you never had one of those!" Katie squeaked as Twinkle Toes snorted, rasped, and let out something that just barely sounded like a roar, and galloped off...very, very slowly.

"Yeeeah...Okay, so maybe I don't, but most survival manuals say that if all else fails, there is one last-resort technique for escape."

"Which is...?"

"RUN!"

**A/N: Happy Easter! I worked extra hard on this chapter so that I could get it done for you as an Easter present! And that was no easy task, considering I'm spending my Spring Break in Colorado with family. But they were very nice about letting me have my writing time. Moriah, make sure Katie reads this, please. See you in Chapter Three! :)**

**-Niki Bogwater**


End file.
